Chapter 2 - The Sound of the SnapThe heavy velvet blinds shrieked against their rusted track. For a second, nothing happened; then, golden afternoon sunlight slashed across the dim, sterile-smelling room like a physical blade.
Liam threw his arm over his eyes, his breath hitching. A low, ragged sound tore from his throat—not of anger, but of raw, unadulterated vulnerability. His pale skin flushed instantly beneath the sudden UV exposure, and the heavy metal pins in his fractured femur glinted cruelly under the harsh light.
“Put them back,” he choked out, his voice scraping against his ribs. “Goddamn it, put them back.”
“You’re starving for Vitamin D,” I said, refusing to let go of the cord. My hands were shaking, but I forced my voice to remain steady. I had seen patients trapped in clinical depressions, locked away in psychological and physical darkness, slowly rotting from the inside out. This wasn't a mob boss hiding from his enemies; this was a man punishing himself. “Your body needs to heal, Liam. You can't mend bones in a cave.”
“You don't know what you're doing,” he hissed, lowering his arm just enough to glare at me with eyes burning like ice. “You think you’re brave because you didn’t run away like the others? You’re just stupid.”
“Maybe so,” I replied, walking over to check his IV drip. “But my brother is dying in a hospital bed in Chicago, and I’m earning ten thousand dollars this week to make sure he lives. Which means you live. And you heal faster with natural light and fresh air.”
I cracked the heavy glass window an inch, letting a cool breeze sweep out the scent of old medicine and stale sweat.
Liam watched me, his chest rising and falling rapidly. For the first time, I noticed the intricate web of scars crisscrossing his shoulders and chest—testimony to a violent life that had finally caught up with him. But beneath the tough exterior, his hands were trembling against the sheets.
“Leo is going to kill you,” Liam muttered, though there was no bite left in it. “Or throw you out.”
“Let him try,” I said, pulling up a chair directly beside the streak of sunlight. “Now, are you going to take your nutrition shake, or do I have to feed it to you like a toddler?”
A flicker of something resembling amusement—or perhaps utter disbelief—flashed across his fierce face. He didn't smile, but he reached out with a trembling hand, took the glass from the tray, and drank it in silence.
That evening, when Leo came to bring my dinner tray to the hallway, he eyed me suspiciously. “He hasn’t screamed for twenty-four hours. What did you do to him?”
May you like
“I did my job,” I answered smoothly, taking the tray. “And if you want him to walk out of this room alive, tell your men to stop lurking outside the door like gargoyles. They’re giving me the creeps.”
Leo stared at me for a long moment, a slow, grim smile touching the corner of his mouth. “You’ve got a death wish, nurse. Let’s see how long it lasts.”
Related Stories
